Editions

Ho Ho Ho

25 Nov 2017 — 13 Jan 2018 at Frutta in Rome, Italy

Frutta is pleased to announce HO HO HO, Christmas in July, a group show
curated by Alek O., Gabriele De Santis, Santo Tolone and Spring. The exhibition
will feature work by Ditte Gantriis, Elisabetta Benassi, Enrico Benassi, Gundam
Air, Holly Hendry, Jacopo Miliani, Jonathan Monk, Jeremy Hutchison, Lauren
Keeley, Marco Giordano, Roberto Coda Zabetta, Ryan Gander and Sol Calero.
During the show, The artists will designate part of the gallery as a “Free Store,”
where visitors are invited to bring in belongings that they wish to leave behind
or take away anything that they like. The exhibition will open with a reception on
Thursday, July 1 from 6-8pm and will be on view until July 31, 2010.

Anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss writes, “During both Christmas and the
Saturnalia, society functions according to a double rhythm of heightened
solidarity and exaggerated antagonism and these two aspects act together in
balanced opposition.” The Saturnalia was an ancient Roman festival celebrated in
December during which societal roles were reversed, celebrations were rich, and
laws were void. Commonly theorized to be the historical basis of several traditions
associated with Christmas, the Saturnalia included revelry, gift exchange, and
gatherings of friends. The works in this exhibition reflect the dualities underlying
the spirit of Christmas and highlight the resulting tensions between religious and
secular, celebration and angst, as well as makeshift gift economy and permanent
market economy.

The phrase “Christmas in July” became widely known due to Preston Sturges’
Hollywood comedy Christmas in July (1940), in which the protagonist engages in
careless spending after his colleagues trick him into believing he won $25,000.
“Christmas in July” quickly became a popular celebration, and is now an unofficial
holiday that refers to various festivities, notably in the southern hemisphere where
July is the coldest month. Most commonly, the term is used as a marketing ploy
by retail stores to make up for the lack of sales opportunities in the summer.
Advertisements promoting “Christmas in July” sales have been popular since
the mid-twentieth century, and continue to flourish today. Celebrating Christmas
during the opposite time of year further emphasizes the polarities inherent to the
Saturnalia and Christmas traditions, and underscores the contradictory nature of
a contemporary ritual in the making.